A question was posed recently on a Facebook page for pilgrims “How can you walk 25 km in a day and get up and do it again? (Completely paraphrased).”
That’s a good, honest question. At the end of every day, each pilgrim has issues — blisters, hurting feet, leg pain, etc. We are putting ourselves through pain in order to reach our ultimate destination, Santiago. To do this, we walk on average 25 km per day. A day where you walk much less — under 20 km feels like a walk in the park (I can do this every day!) and seems like a vacation. How do we do it? The answer I posted to the gentleman on Facebook was simple— it’s different than walking at home. You just get up and go the next morning. I honestly can’t explain it. I walk and hike at home. More often than not, I am listening to music or the news to occupy my mind. Some days it feels forced to go on a hike or walk to work, feeling as though I should be doing it, as opposed to wanting to do it. I know at the end of my hike or walk, I will head to my comfortable home, put my feet up and pet my cats. But here, in Spain on the Camino, it’s different. A group mentality is at play. Walking the Camino is entirely an individual thing but you are seeing or staying with the same group of people (for the most part) day in and day out. Each morning we all wake up, put on our shoes, strap on a backpack, and head out the door. You walk through pain. You walk through Mother Nature’s various moods. Some days, yes, you feel Iike quitting or at least strongly question your choice to do this. Some days, you wake up tired and irritated that someone turned on the lights at 5:30 am. Some days are simply tougher than others. But no matter what, you get up and start the process over again. Everyone is in this together, even if you’re close or not. Everyone has their own reason to walk the Camino but once you’re here, you’re part of a larger picture. Most of the time, it’s one you cannot see but you can feel it for sure. Notes on Days 13-17 Day 13 - Pola de Allande to La Mesa - 19 km I’m glad was only 19 km because it was one of the tougher days, physically. We started the day with a leisurely walk through the valley and then a steep climb up to the top of the mountain. With the steep descent down loose rocks, I’m glad I made to the albergue before the rain started. By the end of 19 km, I was done and ready for a break. I’ve done short days before and they seem like a cake walk. Not today. The weather continues to be chilly and rainy. As I write this, it’s incredibly windy and rainy outside, so I’m definitely glad I’m inside. The town of La Mesa is quite small. The number of pilgrims boosts the population size each day, by about 40. It looks like the town is home to 20 people at most. Day 14 - La Mesa to Grandas de Salime - 15 km Today was a short and relatively easy day, which is what my knees need. We spent the morning descending 850 meters over 7.5 km. It was pretty easy terrain compared to yesterday, so I was a little happier and moved a little faster. At the bottom of the valley was a dam, built in the 1950s. Interesting to see. My backpack was late getting to the albergue. This meant sitting in a bar, drinking a beer and having a bite to eat while I waited for my bag to arrive. Yeah, that was difficult to do. The days from now on get a little longer in terms of kilometers covered. Still more climbing in the mountains but eventually, it will just be foothills as we near Santiago. Day 15 - Grandas de Salime - A Fonsagrada- 28 km The misty, foggy morning didn’t clear up until we reached a certain altitude after climbing several meters. At the top, we could see the clouds over the valley and the sun warming things up. It was also a day where we entered Galicia, leaving Asturias behind. This means, I have about 150 kilometers left until reaching Santiago. The concrete markers pointing you in the right direction, also show the number of kilometers left to reaching Santiago. This is a good and bad thing. Good that I know but bad because they are closer together and it looks like I’m not making any progress. “Oh I see, I’ve only walked 500 meters. Great.” Day 16 — A Fonsagrada to O’Cavado — 25 km My goal at the end of the day was just to get to O’Cavado. The walk was pretty much like it has been all along — lots of trails through forests, some muddy areas, some big uphill climbs, lots of downhills. The foot I broke back in college has been giving me much pain by mid-morning. It’s at this point where I need to take ibuprofen to dull the pain. It generally works long enough to get me to my destination for the day. I keep telling my foot to give me a few more days and then it can rest. Day 17 — O’Cavado to Lugo — 30 km Gone today were the major climbs and descents, so 30 km felt like 20. Ok, it felt like 30 km but it wasn’t as tiring. My feet were the major thing that hurt the most. No blisters... just sore. Lugo is the 100 km mark, so I’m nearly to Santiago. Yippee! The city is quite big — biggest city we’ve been in since Oviedo. It feels a little jarring to be around so many people. The pilgrims entering the city have been walking through small towns, in the countryside, and through forests. Big cities have been pretty much non-existent. I like Lugo, though. The city is prepping for a big Roman celebration this weekend, since it is a city with Roman walls surrounding the old town area. I’d come back here again to explore the city. You know, come here when my feet aren’t yelling at me to stop walking around.
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About Marcy I wear many hats. First, I'm a wife to an amazing husband, Joe. Second, I'm a mom to 2 incredible kids, Caitlynn and Miles. Professionally speaking, I am a chef, dietitian, and writer working as an instructor in Hospitality Management at Montana State University in Bozeman. Photos: See InstagramMarcy's other Site |